Specialised Umbrellas Flood Douala Markets

Mary N., a resident of New Bell in Douala would have faced the worst day of her life, had it not been the help of a commercial motorbike rider. Last week, during her two-hour break time, she decided to rush home from her office in the Akwa neighbourhood. What the secretary in a locally-based private company neglected was taking an umbrella.

Thus, a few minutes to resumption, a heavy downpour began, which is characteristic of the rainy season at this time of the year. But even when the rains reduced considerably, she still could not step a foot out of her house. She finally got a solution when a motorbike rider, with a specially designed umbrella stopped by and carried her back to her office. But costing twice the normal sum!

The rainy season that usually runs from mid-June to early October in the economic capital, dictates daily activities like in many other parts of the country. Though it is generally considered to have a negative impact on daily lives, some persons rather make the best out of it. This refers to commercial motorbike riders who have devised new means of better income generation during this period.

It is common to see most of them in the streets under the rain, transporting passengers after placing specially designed umbrellas and nylons to protect themselves from the rain drops. In most cases, desperate passengers are obliged to pay an additional amount than the usual fare, in order to move undisturbed by the prevailing weather condition.

Apart from displacement difficulties, city dwellers are confronted with recurrent floods in most neighbourhoods. The reasons advanced for such hazards include poor water canalisation, improper use of existing drainage systems and the lack of water drainage canals in other areas.